Texting began as an alternative to snail mail. But ever since the first text message was sent on December 3, 1992, texting has overtaken the world as the most common form of communication ever created. In fact, over 6 billion texts are sent each and every day – that’s more than 180 billion texts every month!

If you’re like most people, you probably send plenty of texts to your friends, family, and significant other. Texting likely plays a huge role in your life even if you aren’t overly aware of it. What if there was a way you could make money while texting?

Turns out, there are tons of legit ways to get paid to text. Imagine sitting on the couch and watching your favorite TV show while shooting off texts and earning sweet cash at the same time. There’s no easier way to make a couple of bucks to spend on some fast food or save up over time to pick up a new video game or cell phone.

Broadly speaking, there are three ways you can make money while texting: sending texts, receiving texts, and the last is certainly the most creative and interesting, but we’ll cover all three of these categories in-depth. Some methods are more involved, while others focus on passive income generation.

Let’s break down the top 12 ways to get paid while texting.

McMoney

Some of the best legit ways to make money while texting involve apps, and one of the best apps is McMoney. To make things great right off the bat, this texting app is totally free to join and can easily result in cash in your pocket with just a little bit of effort.

In a nutshell, McMoney sends your contact information to various companies that will occasionally send you text messages. There’s no need to worry about being bombarded with spam messages all the while, though. Instead, these companies will use your number to test their SMS marketing campaigns.

Occasionally, you’ll get text messages inviting you to try different products, advertising certain companies or services, or asking you feedback questions. You can respond to the texts or not – it’s all up to you, and this makes McMoney a great way to earn passive income without tons of effort.

However, the downside is that you can only use McMoney if you have an Android device. IOS or iPhone users won’t be able to take advantage of this moneymaking method. But if you do have an Android device, you could potentially benefit from earnings of up to half a cent ($0.05) per text.

That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it all adds up over time, especially since you received tons of text messages every week and you don’t have to reply to them at all! We’d heavily recommend McMoney if you don’t have a lot of time or energy to actively respond to text messages while earning cash.

The Free Eats Network

The Free Eats Network is pretty similar to McMoney in that it pays all of its users to get marketing texts from different companies or corporations. All you have to do to get started is register your phone number, and then you’ll start receiving various ads and other marketing links from different companies.

This method also doesn’t require you to respond to these texts or links, although you may be able to take advantage of temporary bonus earnings if you do reply every once in a while. You need a PayPal account in order to receive cash every once in a while.

Unlike McMoney, the Free Eats Network provide you with up to $.25 per text, and you’ll be able to withdraw that cash instantly. The downside, unfortunately, is that you’ll only get two text messages per week on average. Sometimes your number will get paired with a company that’s growing their marketing division, so you may receive more texts overall. But you should still keep your expectations relatively low.

Certain geographic locations benefit from more texts than others, so those with phone numbers registered for metropolitan areas will likely be able to make more with the Free Eats Network than those in rural counties.

KGB (Knowledge Generation Bureau)

“KGB” sounds a lot like the name for the Russian intelligence service that was the boogeyman to the Western world during the Cold War. But there’s nothing to fear here if you’re just looking to make a little cash through texting. However, KGB uses the intentional similarity between their names for branding: each texter in their network is called a “special agent”.

Thankfully, you won’t be asked to perform any spying or snooping for the Soviets. Instead, all you’ll be asked to do is answer questions sent to you via text messages. These messages might be about your opinions about marketing campaigns, or they may be more specific questions. Those answers can assist with KGB’s research divisions.

This all being said, KGB is one of the riskier texting moneymaking companies you can sign up with. They’re only open to US citizens and they do ask for proof of citizenship, which will require you to supply information like your Social Security number. Even after that, you’ll have to participate in a screening process to make sure you have the right communication and research skills they’re looking for.

If you do pass all the benchmarks, however, you’ll benefit from relatively high payout rates of either $.05 or $.10 per question answered. Keep in mind that the $.10 answers require you to do your own research and find an answer that’s correct.

1Q

1Q is a texting company that sends out questions and statements and gives you payments based on your responses. Example texts can be from a broad range of categories, including questions based on market research, responses to certain marketing offers, and whether or not you think coupons are worthwhile. Answer honestly and you’ll end up receiving a payout either way.

Even better, 1Q offers multiple payment methods through either your phone or the proprietary app, depending on which is easiest. You do have to fill out a demographic form when you initially sign up, as this is used to match you with certain companies and marketing campaigns.

How much do you make? Every answer you send out will be worth either $.25 or $.50 depending on the length and quality of the answer. Payments are made directly and immediately after answering, and you don’t have to meet any minimum benchmark before you can cash out. Honestly, it’s one of the most worthwhile texting companies out there in terms of raw payout amount and ease of use.

Ispyplates

Here’s another super easy moneymaking method – all you have to do is receive texts from Ispyplates and you’ll passively receive income over time. They’re also a great choice since they work with virtually all types of phones and all carriers. Naturally, the text messages you receive will be marketing-oriented in nature.

The good news? You don’t even have to open up the texts or look at them to get paid. All you have to do is receive the texts and you’ll get your payout. Furthermore, you’re able to unsubscribe from the texting list at any time. But why would you even think about if you can earn passive income for receiving texts without having to spare them a second thought?

You’ll get tons of marketing texts from major companies like McDonald’s, Groupon, and other organizations. Sometimes you’ll even get coupon opportunities or special discounts, so it does occasionally benefit you to take a look at the texts you receive in case there’s something good.

You’ll get less than a cent for these texts in most cases. But depending on your geographic area, you might get dozens of these per day. It can all add up pretty quickly.

IMGR

IMGR is a texting company that’s pretty similar to 1Q in that they pay you to send texts instead of receiving them. But they’re also a little more complex than the latter, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for a texting operation oriented more toward passive income.

IMGR is an instant message or platform that replaces your regular texting platform. The catch is that they inundate the platform with ads, which is how the company makes money. As you send messages to other IMGR members, you’ll earn income for every text you send since you both end up looking at the ads through using the messaging platform.

This is the complex part – you have to have a friend who’s also using this texting service for it to be worthwhile. But if you can manage it, you’ll get payments sent instantaneously through PayPal. You do need to reach a minimum payout threshold of $3 or about 300 points (you are one point per text). Furthermore, there’s an earning cap of $20 a month for most users, so don’t forget to withdraw your earnings from time to time.

Lastly, IMGR is only available to iOS users. Those with Android devices are, unfortunately, left out.

Fibler

Fibler is one of the most unique texting and moneymaking operations you can find. In a nutshell, they have you helping others and answering questions directly in order to earn cash. So it’s a perfect choice if you’re naturally helpful already.

Fibler periodically sends you questions based on certain industries or topics like fitness, finance, business, medicine, or anything else based on your qualifications and what you explain when you set up your profile. You can set your own rates for different answers, meaning you can potentially earn tons of cash using this platform.

Over time, you may earn a reputation for offering helpful and accurate answers for certain industries or topics. As you build that reputation, more people may ask you questions and, thus, you’ll earn more money over time.

Overall, Fibler one of the most solid and long-term moneymaking platforms to take advantage of. It’s particularly well-suited to those who have lots of in-demand information or education. Just be sure you have plenty of time on your hands to answer the questions accurately, as you can also accrue a negative reputation if multiple answers in a row are less than helpful.

Hummr

Hummr is pretty similar to Fibler – here again, you’ll make money by answering questions for strangers over the texting format. You first have to establish that you are an expert in a particular field, which you’ll do when you set up an account initially. Then you can also personalize that account so that all visitors will see your qualifications and your rates for answering questions.

Once your account is set up, you can wait for questions to hit your digital desk. You can choose to answer the questions either over regular texting or through a video chat interface. As you offer more knowledge and acquire a reputation for accurate answers, you’ll make more money, just like with Fibler.

As with the last platform, you decide the rates you set for your knowledge. It may take a little time to figure out what the sweet spot is in terms of price. But some experimentation will likely find you a perfect rate within a few weeks.

JustAnswer

As the name suggests, JustAnswer is a texting platform that will pay you for answering questions. However, you’re not the one offering expert information. Instead, professionals from various industries like law, medicine, auto mechanics, engineering, and business will ask questions to registered employees or professionals in associated fields.

For instance, you might specify in your profile that you are a nurse. Then JustAnswer will provide you with questions from doctors or other medical professionals about your experiences. This does mean that you’ll need to keep your answers fairly professional since the people asking the questions are looking for real information, not for casual opinions.

Most questions and answers are handled over the texting platform, but your “askers” may occasionally ask for a webcam chat or a phone chat. You aren’t forced to participate in those formats, of course.

As for pay? You’ll get a percentage of money from all the simple questions you answer, and payouts can range from as low as $5 all the way up to $30 or more. If you do this full-time, you could theoretically make quite an income, but it all depends on whether or not you’re in a position to provide professionals with valuable answers.

One last thing: you’ll need a minimum of $20 to withdraw your earnings from your account.

Working Solutions

Working Solutions is very similar to JustAnswer. As with the latter, Working Solutions offers different jobs to texters that can help businesses with various services. You need to have a good mind for communication and a professional manner, and you’ll also need some experience in online chatting to be considered for one of these positions.

If you do manage to land a solid gig through this platform, you can work from home over the long-term and communicate with various companies or their customers for cash. Keep in mind, of course, that you may be asked to occasionally make phone calls in conjunction with texting, so consider looking elsewhere if you aren’t interested in chatting on the phone from time to time.

Either way, Working Solutions offers some of the best payout rates in the industry. You’ll be able to make between $5 and $30 per hour depending on the exact type of communications you’re asked to complete. Since this has huge potential to turn into a long-term gig, Working Solutions arguably offers the best “full-time work” opportunity out of all these moneymaking methods.

Chat Recruit

Chat Recruit is a flirting site – you read that right! In short, they hire people to flirt with other strangers to make accounts on their website. Since you respond via text, a comfortable amount of distance is placed between you and the people who pay to receive your texting attention.

All you have to do is create an account on the Chat Recruit site and set up your phone number. You can begin chatting almost immediately, and you can set your own hours. Using the site, you’ll be able to log on or off and mark yourself as available for conversation or unavailable depending on your needs.

This does mean you can turn Chat Recruit into a full-time gig if required. Or you can use Chat Recruit as a way of making some part-time site cash while you’re bored and at home. In addition to regular texting, will also have the opportunity to engage with clients via phone calls if you’re feeling especially spicy.

The best news? You’ll make a whopping $2 per minute chatting and flirting as soon as engage with a client. The timer doesn’t start until you actually initiate a conversation, of course, so you can’t just log into your account and leave the page up overnight for easy passive cash.

Flirt Bucks

Like Chat Recruit, Flirt Bucks is a flirting platform that those with solid communication skills and a mind for saucy conversation will probably enjoy. They hire agents to flirt with both men and women (though admittedly much more of the former) and it’s incredibly easy to set up an account.

Once you become a “chat hostess” and you can start flirting immediately. Of course, you have to be 18 or older in order to set up an account in the first place. Additionally, clients have the ability to request a phone call, and you may be put on the spot to respond appropriately rather than sticking to your text interface.

On the plus side, you get super flexible working hours, along with total control over who you actually flirt with. This way, you can avoid anyone who seems overly creepy or guys who seemed like too much the first time you chatted.

Payments are all accomplished through PayPal, and you get paid twice per month: just like a regular job’s paycheck. By far, this is one of the steadiest moneymaking methods on this list, and one of the closest to a full job. Consider it if you don’t have anything else going on and want a relatively easy way to make some cash.

Conclusion

As you can see, the only thing stopping you from making plenty of money while texting is yourself! You aren’t limited to using only one of the above methods if you want to earn a little extra cash while shooting off text messages – you can use as many of these methods as you like for truly excellent returns. Keep in mind that many of them will cost you money if you aren’t on an unlimited texting plan.

But there’s no denying the total moneymaking potential at your fingertips. What are you waiting for? Try out at least one of these methods and we’ll bet you’ll be hooked!